While few people can name a double bass player (though many can name a bass guitar player) some bassists actually break out and perform solo bass. Some even go on to record an entire album of solo bass, like double bassist Mike Milligan. When many people think of a bass, they think of type of guitar rather than the grand double bass. A double bass is the large instrument that sits on the ground while the musician sits in a chair behind it, and almost seems wrapped around the instrument as he or she plays. Not a terribly popular instrument in the rock bands of today, the double bass actually is used in some popular music, and is a crucial instrument in orchestral music. And some musicians make its solo sound something to truly celebrate.
Mike Milligan is a double bassist from Canada who has performed in large groups, trios, and extensive solo performances. He was a first-place semi-finalist at the 1986 Montreal Jazz Festival, and won grants to compose music for the bass as well as study with prestigious instructors. Not only has he won first prize in the Vienna Jazz Festival, a large and prestigious international competition held yearly in France, but he's done something few other double bassists ever do, whether they play jazz or classical music. He released a solo bass CD in 1997 to both critical and fan acclaim.
Mike studied double bass with masters like Dave Holland and George Mraz and has performed with internationally known artists like Chet Baker, David Liebman, Sonny Greenwich, Billy Kilson, Jeff Ballard and scores of others. He's gone on tour with the group “Shuffle Demons” giving dozens of well-received performances across Canada and Europe, and took place as part of the house band in 2005 and 2006 at the Ottawa Jazz Festival.
Unlike many other double bassists, Mike also plans to release a second CD. He regularly performs in various trios and small groups across Toronto, all while privately teaching double bass along with electric bass and jazz techniques and improvisation from his music studio in Toronto. Because performing an entire album of solo bass music is a challenge for any bassist, performing one that's also hailed by critics and jazz aficionados, and plan another, is a doubly-impressive feat.
To prepare for recording the album, Mike again ventured into mostly untapped territory for the bassist—solo performances. He gave several entire concerts featuring nothing but his solo bass music, some of it composed by him and some of it improvised in his unique jazz style. Mike uses a late 1950's German double bass that's hand-carved with a solid top and back and heavy gauge D'Addario Heliocore Double Bass strings. Given the fine instrument, Mike's extensive performing experience and innovative techniques for bring more to the performance of the double bass, his new CD looks to be as good as his last. His CD is called “Solo Flights,” and will enhance your appreciation of the jazz bass sound.
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Originally posted 2009-01-13 05:29:44. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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